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cathunit_5591's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
crispyfries's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounding to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This book took me ages to read and is not really my style but still the writing was beautiful and the magic realism was… magical. The first half is slow and not nearly as good as the last. This was written in the 90s and there are bits that didn’t age well.
noahbw's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written, bittersweet story.
Williams made me realize how much Brian Doyle (a favorite American author) is in the same tradition as Irish writing - complex descriptions, strong connection to land and place, illuminating the mystical found in the mundane of everyday life.
Williams made me realize how much Brian Doyle (a favorite American author) is in the same tradition as Irish writing - complex descriptions, strong connection to land and place, illuminating the mystical found in the mundane of everyday life.
halfcentreader's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 The build up to Gabriella and Stephen meeting was torturous. That being said, I love how Williams turns a phrase, most often in surprising ways supplanting positive images with unpredictable misfortune. And often the opposite when the gloom is cleared by the sun or some sort of epiphany. I found all the characters sympathetic and I cared for them throughout to the conclusion.
vhop's review against another edition
4.0
Ei hassumpi rakkauskertomus. Vaikken musiikista ja shakista ymmärrä yhtään mitään, jaksoi tarina silti kantaa.
bjr2022's review against another edition
4.0
How to describe Niall Williams's heavenly voice and point of view? I think the only way to do it is to present it as one: the voice and point of view are identical and they come from a place that transcends but is also intimate with everyday human life.
As It Is in Heaven is my third Williams book, and I've read this voice, as well as many of the same characters, in parts of his other books, but in this book, the entire story is told in this angelic, romantic, melancholic moan. Communication happens without words—through a father and son’s chess game, through music, through a gesture. And, for me, it is more real than mundane words or reality, so I hesitate to call it mystical. This point of view sees and describes everything in utterly original and beautiful language. What’s ugly is stunning. Williams’s voice whispers a matrix of connecting energy between all people and conveys the movements of events as the result of this energy. And some characters in this book see and understand life from this point of view, and to have this told is breathtaking. Or breath-starting. Or just breath.
As It Is in Heaven is my third Williams book, and I've read this voice, as well as many of the same characters, in parts of his other books, but in this book, the entire story is told in this angelic, romantic, melancholic moan. Communication happens without words—through a father and son’s chess game, through music, through a gesture. And, for me, it is more real than mundane words or reality, so I hesitate to call it mystical. This point of view sees and describes everything in utterly original and beautiful language. What’s ugly is stunning. Williams’s voice whispers a matrix of connecting energy between all people and conveys the movements of events as the result of this energy. And some characters in this book see and understand life from this point of view, and to have this told is breathtaking. Or breath-starting. Or just breath.
shelby_jane1029's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Cursing, and Sexual content
canalkate's review
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
olivia76's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, so I don't really remember this book all that well. But I do know I read it. I LOVE William's Four Letters of Love, but distinctly remember not liking this one as much.